Union Pacific Depot 1923

When fire took the old depot in 1921, the Union Pacific replaced it with something far grander than a division-point town strictly needed: a Mission Revival station by the Los Angeles architects who would later design Union Station itself, finished in oak, with a restaurant and a fifty-room hotel under one roof. The railroad's importance has faded since; the building never did. It serves now as Caliente's city hall, library, and gallery — the depot outliving the trains, holding the town together.

What the plaque says

Constructed as a Union Pacific railroad depot in 1923, this mission revival structure was designed by well-known Los Angeles architects, John and Donald Parkinson. The depot represents an imposing example of mission revival design. Much of its interior was made of solid oak, and the total cost was more than $80,000. The depot replaced a former structure which burned on September 9, 1921. This newer facility included a restaurant and fifty-room hotel for some years. The structure has served Caliente as a civic center and is the location of city government offices.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Cathedral Gorge State Park — 15 mi
  A drained ancient lakebed eroded into buff-colored spires and narrow slot "caves" — one of Nevada's first state parks, and the gentle, otherworldly counterweight to the Silver Trails' ghost towns.
• Pioche — 22 mi
  The silver camp that, by legend, out-killed the Old West — Boot Hill's boots-on graves, the graft-ridden Million-Dollar Courthouse, and an aerial tramway still slung over Main Street.

More markers nearby

• Caliente — steps away
• Panaca — 14 mi
• Panaca Ward Chapel — 14 mi
• Panaca Mercantile — 14 mi